Charge pump systems, devices, and methods

ABSTRACT

The present subject matter relates to charge pump devices, systems, and methods in which a plurality of series-connected charge-pump stages are connected between a supply voltage node and a primary circuit node, and a discharge circuit is connected to the plurality of charge-pump stages, wherein the discharge circuit is configured to selectively remove charge from the primary circuit node.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation patent application of and claimspriority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/940,458, filed Mar. 29,2018 issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,608,528, which is a continuation of andclaims priority to PCT Application No. PCT/US2018/00069, filed Feb. 16,2018, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser.No. 62/460,003, filed Feb. 16, 2017, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to charge pumps.More particularly, the subject matter disclosed herein relates toconfigurations and operation of charge pumps used to charge a capacitorto a relatively higher potential than a voltage supply.

BACKGROUND

Charge pumps are used to generate a desired high voltage output inconfigurations where the supply voltage is comparatively low. Even wheresuch a high-voltage output would be advantageous, however, variousissues associated with charge pumps have prevented them from replacingother high voltage sources. For example, parasitics to ground, spacerequired for charge pump elements (e.g., pump stages, control circuits,hold capacitor), and time to charge can all be seen as detrimental tocertain circuits. For many of these reasons, the applicability of chargepumps has been limited despite the ability to generate a high voltageoutput from a comparatively low supply voltage.

SUMMARY

In accordance with this disclosure, charge pump devices, systems, andmethods are provided. In one aspect, a charge pump is provided in whicha plurality of series-connected charge-pump stages are connected betweena supply voltage node and a primary circuit node, and a dischargecircuit is connected to the plurality of charge-pump stages, wherein thedischarge circuit is configured to selectively remove charge from theprimary circuit node.

In another aspect, a method for regulating charge at a primary circuitnode includes selectively driving charge between stages of a pluralityof series-connected charge-pump stages connected between a supplyvoltage node and a primary circuit node, and selectively removing chargefrom the primary circuit node though a discharge circuit connected tothe plurality of charge-pump stages.

In another aspect, a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) deviceaccording to the present subject matter includes at least one fixedelectrode; a movable beam including at least one movable electrode thatis spaced apart from the at least one fixed electrode and is movablewith respect to the at least one fixed electrode; a plurality ofseries-connected charge-pump stages connected between a supply voltagenode and a primary circuit node, wherein the primary circuit node isconnected to one of the at least one movable electrode or the at leastone fixed electrode; and a discharge circuit connected to the pluralityof charge-pump stages, wherein the discharge circuit is configured toselectively remove charge from the primary circuit node.

Although some of the aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein havebeen stated hereinabove, and which are achieved in whole or in part bythe presently disclosed subject matter, other aspects will becomeevident as the description proceeds when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings as best described hereinbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the present subject matter will be morereadily understood from the following detailed description which shouldbe read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings that are givenmerely by way of explanatory and non-limiting example, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a charge pump according to anembodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a charge pump according to anembodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a charge pump according to anembodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter;

FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating voltage at a primary circuit node of acharge pump according to an embodiment of the presently disclosedsubject matter;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a micro-electro-mechanical device that isdriven by a charge pump according to an embodiment of the presentlydisclosed subject matter;

FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of a charge pump control systemaccording to an embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter;and

FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of a charge pump control systemaccording to an embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present subject matter provides charge pump devices, systems, andmethods. In one aspect, the present subject matter provides a chargepump that both charges a capacitor or other element in communicationwith a primary circuit node to a relatively higher potential than avoltage supply and pumps down the high-voltage charge without any formof high-voltage switches. Referring to one example configurationillustrated in FIG. 1, a charge pump, generally designated 100, caninclude a plurality of series-connected charge-pump stages 105-1 through105-n connected between a supply voltage node 101 and a primary circuitnode 102 (i.e., with the voltage output of one pump stage being thevoltage input to the subsequent pump stage).

In some embodiments, for example, charge pump 100 can be a Dickson-typecharge pump, where charge-pump stages 105-1 through 105-n includemultiple stages of capacitors linked by a diode string. As used herein,the term ‘diode’ is not intended to be limited to semiconductor diodesbut instead is used generally to refer to any two-terminal electroniccomponent that conducts current primarily in one direction (i.e.,bias-dependent), including MOSFET circuits that emulate a diode. In suchan arrangement, charge is passed between the capacitors through thediode string by a two-phase clock (e.g., supplied by a clock drivercircuit 106) such that it can only flow one way, and the charge buildsup at the end of the string at primary circuit node 102. The number ofstages can be selected to generate the amount of voltage step-up desiredfrom charge pump 100. For instance, the number of stages can be selectedbased on the difference between the desired high voltage output atprimary circuit node 102 and the charge pump's voltage supply at supplyvoltage node 101. The number of stages is thereby generally fixed forany given application.

For example, one configuration for a charge pump design can include aneven number of stages, half of which are clocked high on each risingclock edge and the other half are clocked high on the falling clockedge. In some embodiments, charge-pump stages 105-1 through 105-ninclude a plurality of diodes connected in a series arrangement betweensupply voltage node 101 and primary circuit node 102. To drive chargeacross the diode chain, charge-pump stages 105-1 through 105-n furtherinclude a plurality of pump stage capacitors that are each connected toa cathode terminal of a corresponding one of the associated diodes toform each charge pump stage, and clock driver circuit 106 controls thecharging of the pump stage capacitors. Although one example of aconfiguration of charge pump 100 is discussed here, those havingordinary skill in the art will recognize that charge pump 100 can beprovided in any of a variety of other configurations in which charge isdriven between stages of the plurality of charge-pump stages 105-1through 105-n.

In addition to this structure that is similar to conventional chargepump configurations, however, in some embodiments, charge pump 100further includes a discharge circuit, generally designated 110, that isconnected to the plurality of charge-pump stages 105-1 through 105-n,wherein discharge circuit 110 is configured to selectively remove chargefrom primary circuit node 102. In some embodiments, discharge circuit110 can include a plurality of discharge circuit elements 115-1 through115-n that are each in communication with a respective one ofcharge-pump stages 105-1 through 105-n. In some embodiments, forexample, discharge circuit elements 115-1 through 115-n can be aplurality of transistors arranged in a cascaded array between primarycircuit node 102 and a reference 103 (e.g., a ground), with each of theplurality of transistors being connected to one of the plurality ofcharge pump stages 105-1 through 105-n. In some embodiments, dischargecircuit elements 115-1 through 115-n can be provided as a field-effecttransistor (FET) ‘follower’ that cascades the entire stack down to logiclevels, with the gate of each FET being inserted between each of pumpstages 105-1 through 105-n.

Such a configuration can be integrated with the design of charge-pumpstages 105-1 through 105-n. For example, in some embodiments, the‘diodes’ of charge-pump stages 105-1 through 105-n can be implementedusing transistors, which can be operated in the typical way duringcharge pump ramp-up. When it is desired to draw down the charge atprimary circuit node 102, however, the transistors can be operated on atransient basis to short out and remove the high voltage. In someembodiments, the feed to the transistor driver at the high-voltage endof the string can be made into a cascade with a low voltage trigger. Insome embodiments, this configuration for discharge circuit 110 can becontrolled by gating the lower FET.

Referring to an example configuration illustrated in FIG. 2, charge pump100 includes a stack of 16 charge-pump stages 105-1 through 105-16.Discharge circuit elements 115-1 through 115-16 are connected to each ofassociated charge-pump stages 105-1 through 105-16 in the form oftransistors 116-1 through 116-16 (e.g., NFET followers), which arecascaded with the subsequent and previous pump stages. This circuitcreates over-voltage situations when discharging primary circuit node102 to reference 103.

To enable this discharge, a shorting switch 118 can be operated totrigger the removal of charge from primary circuit node 102. In someembodiments, such as in FIG. 2, shorting switch 118 is an additionaltransistor connected between the plurality of discharge circuit elements115-1 through 115-16 and reference 103, although in other embodiments,the gate of transistor 116-1 (i.e., the one of the plurality oftransistors 116-1 through 116-16 that is closest to reference 103) canbe operable as shorting switch 118.

In some embodiments, actuation of shorting switch 118 can be achieved bythe selective activation of an input voltage source 119 in communicationwith shorting switch 118. For example, where input voltage source 119provides a potential of VIN=1, primary circuit node 102 is pumped to ahigh-voltage potential after several cycles of clock driver circuit 106.In this way, the voltage output at each subsequent pump stage increasesin stepped increments until a desired charge is achieved at primarycircuit node 102. Where input voltage source 119 is switched to providea potential of VIN=0, discharge circuit 110 operates to cascade thehigh-voltage at primary circuit node 102 down to logic levels. Incoordination with this pump down, clock driver circuit 106 can be gatedoff, and supply voltage node 101 can be floated or grounded. In thisconfiguration, the gate of shorting switch 118 will remain charged whenprimary circuit node 102 is discharged.

In another example configuration shown in FIG. 3, discharge circuitelements 115-1 through 115-n can include a plurality of diodes 117-1through 117-n connected from gate to drain at a respective one of theplurality of transistors 116-1 through 116-16 that are cascaded betweenprimary circuit node 102 and reference 103. In some embodiments, diodes117-1 through 117-n facilitate the removal of charge from primarycircuit node 102 by discharging the gates of transistors 116-1 through116-n of discharge circuit elements 115-1 through 115-n and theassociated one of charge-pump stages 105-1 through 105-n when primarycircuit node 102 is connected to reference 103. In this arrangement,diodes 117-1 through 117-n help the switches collapse safely (e.g., bypreventing some of transistors 116-1 through 116-n from breaking downduring the transient). Similar to the configuration discussed above withrespect to FIG. 2, this circuit is designed to provide a logictranslation to primary circuit node 102 when the potential at inputvoltage source 119 is ‘1’ and a logic low level when the potential atinput voltage source 119 is ‘0’. Such a result is shown in FIG. 4, wherethe potential at primary circuit node 102 (upper waveform) correspondsto the state at input voltage source 119 (lower waveform).

In some embodiments, since the systems and methods discussed aboveprovide high-voltage control without the need for high-voltage switches,charge pump 100 and/or discharge circuit 110 according to the presentdisclosure can be implemented using manufacturing methods that may onlyhave low-voltage transistors. In some embodiments, for example,silicon-on-insulator (SOI) or other similar processes (e.g., SiGe) maybe used. In particular with respect to a SOI implementation, theoperation of charge pump 100 and/or discharge circuit 110 can be moreefficient due to lower parasitics to ground compared to othertechnologies. In addition, low-voltage implementations can minimize theparasitic capacitances with minimum size transistors and not having thebody tied to a substrate, resulting in charge pump 100 and/or dischargecircuit 110 being comparatively efficient and small with small valuecoupling capacitors, and control that is more complex can be enabledcompared to simple diode-connected FETs. In addition, a large depletionregion would not be required for substrate isolation.

Regardless of the particular configuration of charge pump 100, thepresent subject matter can provide advantages in a range of application.In some embodiments, for example, charge pump 100 as described hereincan be used as a charge source for micro-electro-mechanical systems(MEMS) device. Referring to the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 5, aMEMS device, generally designated 120, includes at least one fixedelectrode 122 (e.g., provided on a substrate 121), and a movable beam123 is suspended over fixed electrode 122, movable beam 123 including atleast one movable electrode 124 that is spaced apart from fixedelectrode 122 and is movable with respect to fixed electrode 122. Chargepump 100 is connected to this structure, with primary circuit node 102being connected to one of fixed electrode 122 or movable electrode 124,and the other of movable electrode 124 or fixed electrode 122 beingconnected to ground. In this configuration, the deflection of movablebeam 123 can be driven directly by charge pump 100. Thus, whereasconventional MEMS actuators generally require high voltage transistorsto apply and remove the high-voltage from the MEMS, in some embodimentsof MEMS device 120, no high-voltage transistors are needed (e.g., for anSOI implementation). Furthermore, since charge pump 100 is charging theMEMS itself (i.e., rather than a separate hold capacitor), only arelatively low charge needs to be provided (e.g., only enough to achievebetween about 50 fF and 1 pF of capacitance). As a result, charge pump100 can be very small, which is further helpful to avoid large steps dueto the small load.

Driving one or more such MEMS beams directly with charge pump 100controls the deflection of movable beam 123 with charge rather thanvoltage. Thus, in contrast to conventional MEMS actuators, there willnot be a pull-in but a progressive closure as charge is added and aprogressive release as charge is removed. Although the time to chargemay be greater in some embodiments as a result, such progressive closurecan minimize ringing, which can result in a shorter total time to stableclosure (e.g., compared to total time for snap-down plus time forringing to subside). In addition, impact forces will be greatly reduced,avoiding fracturing and leading to far lower wear.

Furthermore, in another aspect of the present subject matter, an arrayincluding multiple such MEMS devices 120 can each be driven by acorresponding charge pump 100. As illustrated in FIG. 6, for example, insome embodiments, an array, generally designated 200, can include aplurality of charge pumps 100 that are each associated with anindividual MEMS device 120. A controller 210 or other input device incommunication with each of charge pumps 100 provides an input digitalcontrol word that corresponds to the desired pattern of actuation of theMEMS devices 120 (e.g., corresponding to a desired total arraybehavior). In this arrangement, instead of having a single charge pumpand an array of high-voltage level shifters driven by low-voltagedigital words to control the array of devices, the bits from thelow-voltage digital words can be used to actuate individual MEMS devices120 by energizing selected respective individual charge pumps 100.

In any configuration or application, the operation of charge pump 100can include any of a variety of control and regulation systems. In someembodiments, a regulation system for charge pump 100 is provided inorder to sense the available high voltage output at primary circuit node102 to determine when charge pump 100 should be activated. Theregulation system for the charge pump can be configured to determine thenumber of cycles that the charge pump is clocked as well as a voltageincrement required at each stage of the charge pump. The number ofcycles that the charge pump is clocked is determined by one or more ofthe design of the charge pump, load capacitance, or the voltageincrement required at each stage of the charge pump to achieve thedesired high voltage output.

In some embodiments, the threshold level for starting the clock and thenumber of clock cycles are set to enable stability in control of thecharge pump. In that case, the regulation system can be combined with afractional drive to throttle the charge pump as well as manage anyvoltage spikes. This would require more cycles for a given voltage rise,but give finer control of the charge pump stages. Additionally, it maytake longer for the string to stabilize after the clock cycles stop andthe initial states of the charge pump may be uneven along the string.

The voltage increment can be determined from a measurement comparison toa desired threshold voltage or reference voltage. Additionally, thenumber of cycles needed to achieve the desired high voltage output canbe computed based on the difference between the measured and referencevoltages. Alternatively, the measurement of a voltage at or below thethreshold voltage can act as a trigger for a fixed number of operatingcycles to be initiated. In some embodiments, the measurement taken tomake the comparison can be taken on the charge pump diode string itselfwhen the charge pump is not active. In this way, a separate voltagedivider is not necessary, which can be advantageous since the use of avoltage divider would add a comparatively large amount of leakage to thecharge pump, requiring the charge pump to be operated more often tomaintain the desired high voltage output at the primary circuit node.

Referring to one configuration for a regulation system, FIG. 6illustrates a regulation system 150 that is configured to take a voltagemeasurement for charge pump 100. In the illustrated configuration, thismeasurement can be taken near the bottom of the string of charge pumpstages 105-1 through 105-n, which provides regulation system 150 with alow voltage that is in direct proportion to the high voltage at the topof the string. Alternatively, regulation system 150 can be provided incommunication with one of discharge circuit elements 115-1 through 115-nor with shorting switch 118.

In any configuration, regulation system 150 can be configured toextrapolate the present voltage at primary circuit node 102 from thevoltage measurement taken at the bottom of the string, such as isillustrated in FIG. 7. In particular, in embodiments in which chargepump 100 is implemented using SOI processes or other insulated substratetransistor technologies, the voltage division can be more uniform amongcharge pump stages 105-1 through 150-n than in other implementations(e.g., CMOS), and thus the measurement taken by regulation system 150can be used to determine the voltage at primary circuit node 102. Thesystem extrapolates the present voltage by finding the differencebetween the reference voltage and the measured voltage corresponding tothe desired high voltage output at primary circuit node 102. Regulationsystem 150 then uses this information to calculate the number of clockcycles that charge pump 100 needs to be activated in order to achievethe desired voltage level at primary circuit node 102

In some embodiments, such a measurement on the diode string can beobtained by a high impedance input to avoid disturbing the voltagedivision. By avoiding the separate measurement divider, currentconsumption should be greatly reduced. Furthermore, a direct measurementon the charge pump will provide nearly instantaneous voltage measurementand therefore allow for tighter, more precise regulation of the chargepump, as well as a lower ripple during a static “on” state. By notrequiring a separate divider string, it will greatly decrease theleakage from the primary circuit node, leading to lower DC currentconsumption and lower average noise.

The present subject matter can be embodied in other forms withoutdeparture from the spirit and essential characteristics thereof. Theembodiments described therefore are to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive. Although the present subject matterhas been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments, otherembodiments that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art arealso within the scope of the present subject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A controllable power supply comprising: aplurality of series-connected charge-pump stages connected, at a firstend, to a supply voltage node and, at a second end, to a common primarycircuit node; a discharge circuit, comprising a plurality ofsub-circuits or circuit elements, the discharge circuit being connected,at a first discharge end, to the common primary circuit node and, at asecond discharge end, to a reference, wherein the discharge circuit isconfigured to selectively remove charge from the common primary circuitnode; and a voltage measurement device configured to measure a presentcharge state at the common primary circuit node; wherein the voltagemeasurement device is connected in communication with one of theplurality of charge-pump stages; and wherein the voltage measurementdevice is configured to extrapolate the present charge state at thecommon primary circuit node from a voltage measurement taken at the oneof the plurality of charge-pump stages.
 2. The controllable power supplyof claim 1, wherein the discharge circuit is also connected to theplurality of charge-pump stages at a location other than the commonprimary circuit node.
 3. The controllable power supply of claim 1,wherein each of the charge-pump stages comprises a silicon-on-insulator(SOI) device.
 4. The controllable power supply of claim 1, wherein thedischarge circuit comprises: a plurality of transistors arranged in acascaded array between the common primary circuit node and thereference, wherein each of the plurality of transistors is connectedbetween two charge pump stages of the plurality of charge pump stages orbetween a charge pump stage and either the common primary circuit nodeor the supply voltage node; and a shorting switch connected between theplurality of transistors and the reference.
 5. The controllable powersupply of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of transistorscomprises a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) device.
 6. The controllable powersupply of claim 4, wherein the discharge circuit comprises a diodeconnected between a gate and a drain of each of the plurality oftransistors.
 7. The controllable power supply of claim 4, wherein theshorting switch comprises a gate of one of the plurality of transistorsthat is closest to the reference.
 8. The controllable power supply ofclaim 1, comprising a clock driver circuit in communication with theseries-connected charge-pump stages.
 9. A method for regulating chargeat a common primary circuit node, the method comprising: selectivelydriving charge between stages of a plurality of series-connectedcharge-pump stages connected, at a first end, to a supply voltage nodeand, at a second end, to a common primary circuit node; using a voltagemeasurement device to measure a present charge state at the commonprimary circuit node; and selectively removing charge from the commonprimary circuit node through a discharge circuit, comprising a pluralityof sub-circuits or circuit elements, the discharge circuit beingconnected, at a first discharge end, to the common primary circuit nodeand, at a second discharge end, to a reference; wherein the voltagemeasurement device is connected in communication with one of theplurality of charge-pump stages; and wherein the voltage measurementdevice is configured to extrapolate the present charge state at thecommon primary circuit node from a voltage measurement taken at the oneof the plurality of charge-pump stages.
 10. The method of claim 9,wherein the discharge circuit is also connected to the plurality ofcharge-pump stages at a location other than the common primary circuitnode.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the charge-pump stagescomprises a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) device.
 12. The method of claim9, wherein selectively driving charge between stages of a plurality ofseries-connected charge-pump stages comprises receiving a control inputfrom a clock driver circuit.
 13. The method of claim 9, whereinselectively removing charge comprises controlling a plurality oftransistors arranged in a cascaded array in the discharge circuit,wherein each of the plurality of transistors is connected to one of theplurality of charge pump stages.
 14. The method of claim 13, whereinselectively removing charge comprises controlling a diode connectedbetween a gate and a drain of each of the plurality of transistors. 15.The method of claim 9, wherein selectively driving charge between stagesof the plurality of series-connected charge-pump stages comprises:measuring a present charge state at the common primary circuit node byextrapolating the present charge state from a voltage measurement takenat one of the plurality of charge-pump stages; and driving chargebetween the stages of a plurality of series-connected charge-pump stagesif the present charge state is less than a desired charge state.
 16. Amicro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) device comprising: at least onefixed electrode; a movable beam including at least one movable electrodethat is spaced apart from the at least one fixed electrode and ismovable with respect to the at least one fixed electrode; a plurality ofseries-connected charge-pump stages connected, at a first end, to asupply voltage node and, at a second end, to a common primary circuitnode, wherein the common primary circuit node is connected to one of theat least one movable electrode or the at least one fixed electrode; adischarge circuit, comprising a plurality of sub-circuits or circuitelements, the discharge circuit being connected, at a first dischargeend, to the common primary circuit node and, at a second discharge end,to a reference, wherein the discharge circuit is configured toselectively remove charge from the common primary circuit node; and avoltage measurement device configured to measure a present charge stateat the common primary circuit node; wherein the voltage measurementdevice is connected in communication with one of the plurality ofcharge-pump stages; and wherein the voltage measurement device isconfigured to extrapolate the present charge state at the common primarycircuit node from a voltage measurement taken at the one of theplurality of charge-pump stages.
 17. The micro-electro-mechanicalsystems (MEMS) device of claim 16, wherein the discharge circuit is alsoconnected to the plurality of charge-pump stages at a location otherthan the common primary circuit node.
 18. The micro-electro-mechanicalsystems (MEMS) device of claim 16, wherein each of the charge-pumpstages comprises a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) device.
 19. Themicro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) device of claim 16, wherein theplurality of charge-pump stages are positioned substantially beneath themovable beam.
 20. The micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) device ofclaim 16, wherein the discharge circuit comprises a plurality oftransistors arranged in a cascaded array between the common primarycircuit node and a reference, wherein each of the plurality oftransistors is connected to one of the plurality of charge pump stages.21. The micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) device of claim 20,wherein the discharge circuit comprises a diode connected between a gateand a drain of each of the plurality of transistors.